My wife is a speech pathologist in a public school here and tells me she'd probably be making almost double in Texas

[This message has been edited by Jock 07 (edited 8/4/2014 6:58p).]

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I'm another considering making the move, to take Colorado back as part of Texas, does anyone have knowledge of making the switch of being an educator(wife) in Texas to Colorado? From what I can tell Colorado seems to pay quite a bit less than Houston area schools.

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my wife was in cy fair (though, a high school counselor. )

She didn't get her certs transferred in time to start the school year, so she ended up in another industry entirely. Anyway, pay was 20% less in Douglas county than cy fair. She was at about 60, it was 40s here.

She took a temp job, was hired on perm and moved up a couple spots all within 8 months.

Now she's back where she was when she left. 2 years now, she's pretty sure she'll never go back. Potential at new job is much higher than counselor, which has little to no potential to move up.

On a related note, my cousin is teacher in Douglas elem school. His pay has been frozen for 3 years. He's taught for 8-10 years. He's in $30s. It's pretty sad.

I chalk it up to teachers (among others) taking less pay here because their summers are 40 miles away from god's playground.

Wow....starting teachers across most f Houston will make over 50k for the 2014-2015 school year.

Living in Denver is better than living in Houston.

It's worth it.

No doubt, but that "sunshine tax" is greater than I thought it would be.

My wife is a teacher, bilingual and Montessori certified. Whatever the hell that means. I'm ok with whatever dip in pay she takes.

Thriller thanks for the offer. Just saw that note, but fortunately we've had a blast already. So much so that my kids are dead tired today. Haha. Beat down by the outdoors.

Now I just need to figure out what hood we'll be in but that's a year or so off before the real research commences.

Still fainting goat for game watching parties?!

Unfortunately, I think so... that bar is pretty terrible for watch parties, IMO.

What are people's thoughts on the Lakewood/Wheat Ridge/Arvada area? Any experience with the schools on that side of town? Thanks!

Simplified...

I'm glad you said it. I could not agree more. 3 floors of no where to sit.

I don't remember the name of the bar next to LoDos (Maggie's?) but that place was perfect.

Yep, that bar is too segregated. And that non-hd projector in the back of the place is awful.

Agreed, LoDo's or wherever we were in downtown was a MUCH better spot.

I'll be in Texas the first game but I hope to make them all this year.

I need to be better about game watching with fellow Ags.

I lied I'll be there Thursday.

Hope to meet some of you fellow aggies around town at watch parties etc. I'll be in So. Car. for the game on Thursday to watch our Aggies destroy those cocks.

I saw the name of a couple of bars mentioned here. Do you all typically meet at the same spot for every game?

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What are people's thoughts on the Lakewood/Wheat Ridge/Arvada area? Any experience with the schools on that side of town? Thanks!

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Came here to ask the same question. Have a couple leads on jobs over in that area and was curious.

But seriously who will be at the goat on Thursday.

Goat

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What are people's thoughts on the Lakewood/Wheat Ridge/Arvada area? Any experience with the schools on that side of town?

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They're all pretty nice areas.... not my favorite parts of Denver, but definitely not bad. If you're coming from TX, all 3 would probably be nice/upgraded places to live.

I really like Old Town Arvada. There are parts of Arvada that are kind of like Texas: a little rural, with some nice neighborhoods & some areas that aren't very nice.

Lakewood, aka Lakehood by some buddies that live there, is not bad. It's fairly close to downtown, and the main highway (6) is one of the better-flowing highways around Denver in my experience (way better than 25 and 470). It seems like there is a decent amount of middle-class, and even lower-middle class neighborhoods (by Denver's standards). But there are some nice parts also. One side of Lakewood is close to downtown, Mile High, and Federal Ave (great Mexican food, but not the nicest part of town). The other side of Lakewood is close to Littleton and much prettier views and scenery. My thoughts are that Lakewood is one of those areas that has character, some good hole-in-the-wall places, and offers variety.

I know very little about Wheat Ridge.

I live down South (Lone Tree), and my thoughts on the Denver area are:

-Everything is nice heading south (Cherry Hills, Denver Tech Center/Greenwood Village, Centennial, Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, and even way down south like Castle Pines, Castle Rock, and Parker). There are very few bad neighborhoods, ugly areas, or anything below upper-middle class.

-West and Southwest (Lakewood, Golden, Arvada, and Littleton) are good areas, but have some bad spots mixed in. A much larger middle class and lower-middle class than the southern areas/suburbs.

-North and Northwest (Westminster, Broomfield, and Thornton) seem to have the biggest mix of upper, middle, and lower class. Some great views and an "open" feeling. But there's a lot of trash in Thornton and also some in Westminster.

-East and Northeast (Aurora, Commerce City) have probably the worst reputation around Denver. There are plenty of nice spots in Aurora though.

Just my quick 2 cents on general observations of areas around Denver.

Thanks for the writeup. In my limited exposure with some of those places, I'd say youre right on.

And coming from Houston proper, most of these places are upgrades.

drey - which areas did you like when you were here?

Also - regarding Thursday - I'm on the fence. Depends on some timing with kids extracurricular activities.

I live in Wash Park and it's my favorite part of town. Lots to do, centrally located, great park, plenty of housing options. Downside is it's become much more sought after recently so prices are higher

we drove around a lot. Hit Boulder, Golden, Castle Rock, Lakewood, ate on Federal...but we also stayed centrally in LoHi area so we'd walk around there at night or over to downtown. We also stayed in Aurora (and I drover around MLK looking for fast food) the night before we flew home...yeah, we won't be looking for homes out there.

I'm by no means an expert, but I got a feel for the city, the traffic, etc. I liked it there. Have a friend that lives in Evergreen and colleagues in Littleton, Broomfield, and Wash Park...

I have at least a year to make up my mind, so I'm just taking my time. Wish we could have driven through Parker just to get a feel for how far out it is...

Depends on where you are in parker. I'm 3 miles from 470 and 4 miles from 25 both routes currently undeveloped. I can get to the highway quicker than a lot of highlands ranch residents. But some people in Parker far southeast are further. Some people are also much closer than me, like less than a mile from highway. If you work downtown, taking e470 around to 70 could be much quicker than 25, but costs you.

Stapleton is new development off MLK northeast of denver. It borders the ghetto, but it itself is relatively high dollar middle upper class, and like 5 miles from downtown.

[This message has been edited by 62strat (edited 8/28/2014 9:18a).]

Headed up for the BMW Championship tomorrow. Looks like it's the best weather day other than possibly Sun.

IS ANYONE BRINGING THE HATE ON SATURDAY!? I don't have tv service. Maybe it's worth getting with the SEC network and all, but do you guys know anywhere that will be showing on Sat?

Fainting Goat on Broadway in Denver

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Headed up for the BMW Championship tomorrow. Looks like it's the best weather day other than possibly Sun.

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Wish I was there, but I hurt my back & need to work late.

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What are people's thoughts on the Lakewood/Wheat Ridge/Arvada area? Any experience with the schools on that side of town? Thanks!

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I agree with a lot of Proud Aggie's thoughts. I live about a mile away from downtown in the Highlands neighborhood. It's a great neighborhood but pricey if you want to buy. I rent a tiny tiny place. I take it that you have kids based on your question about schools -- I really can't comment too much on that since I don't have kids, but I will say that Highlands Ranch / Littleton is pretty much the only area I hear people say the schools are really good. But I have plenty of friends that have young children and live in my neighborhood (Denver ISD) that plan to send their children to the schools here.

Wheat Ridge -- not too far from downtown and the rest of Denver, relatively affordable, more established neighborhoods. Quick access for the most part to 70 to get to the mountains. Nothing too nice though, generally slightly run down appearance. On the part boarding the Highlands, there are some cool restaurants and stores popping up.

Lakewood -- the east side is similar to Wheat Ridge, not overly nice but relatively affordable and good access to other areas. The west side is generally a little newer construction and close to the mountains and some great hikes in the foothills.

Golden -- THE BEST PLACE EVER. If you want to live somewhere that feels like a small town, where people will not only make eye contact but may say "hi" even before this friendly Texan can, where you can kayak / mountain bike / hike in your backyard live in Golden. It is a quick drive to Denver (about 15-20 minutes to downtown). It is pricey though, and I wouldn't recommend a commute to the Tech Center (which is about 15 miles south of downtown) from Golden.

Arvada -- I would say it is generally a little more kept up and newer than Lakewood and Wheat Ridge in most places. However, it definitely feels more like the 'burbs than Lakewood or Wheat Ridge. More chain stores / restaurants and less local spots.

Littleton / Highlands Ranch / Greenwood Village -- I'm lumping them all together because they are about the same to me. Definitely nice with good schools. Good access to mountains on the West side, although you will have to take 470 up to 70 if you want to ski, which adds to the drive as compared to the areas further north. The most conservative and affluent part of Denver. I work in Greenwood Village. I will have to say, if you want the true Denver experience and laid back, very friendly people may not be the spot. That is totally my opinion, and I am sure that within neighborhoods people can be friendly. When I run around that area people will hardly make eye contact with me (and I am a relatively attractive, non-threatening looking female). Overall, all really nice suburbs, but definitely very few local spots and just lacks the same vibe as Denver.

Aurora -- don't do it. You might be tempted by the only reasonable real estate prices in the state but just say no. There are some areas that are better than others. But I would never suggest it to anyone.

It totally depends on your hobbies, where you will work, your price point, and what kind of vibe you are looking for! Let me know if you have any questions!

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What are people's thoughts on the Lakewood/Wheat Ridge/Arvada area? Any experience with the schools on that side of town? Thanks!

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Also, check into the Berkeley area -- just north of the Highlands, south of Arvada, east of Wheat Ridge. It's an up and coming area that could prove to be a good real estate investment. It has a great neighborhood feel. Definitely a lot of young families moving in.

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Littleton / Highlands Ranch / Greenwood Village -- I'm lumping them all together because they are about the same to me.

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hah except GV is about 2-3X the price! most ares of GV, a 60s/70s ranch is $600K and up.
GV is pretty dang high income... hanging around in the shadow of cherry hills.

From my observations anyway.

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Littleton / Highlands Ranch / Greenwood Village -- I'm lumping them all together because they are about the same to me.

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hah except GV is about 2-3X the price! most ares of GV, a 60s/70s ranch is $600K and up.
GV is pretty dang high income... hanging around in the shadow of cherry hills.

From my observations anyway.

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Good point... when I was looking to rent and realized that the rent in GV is about the same as Highlands / Downtown, Highlands was an easy choice. Within Littleton and HR, there are some neighborhoods that are ridiculously nice and very expensive, and some that are more modest and more affordable. People in HR are always talking about the "Backcountry" which has single track mountain bike trails. Use of those trails is supposedly limited to HR residents. There is also the Highline Canal trail (dirt, relatively flat, running / biking trail) and Waterton Canyon, which is also great for running, and for fishing. Anything along the Highline Canal (at least the part in GV area) is very very pricey, but a lot of them are horse properties.

So while there are some good things to do in the area, I would just never be willing to pay the price to live down there because it's definitely suburban and generally a bit snooty, in my personal opinion.

I like my setup.... work downtown & live down South. I love downtown Denver, for 40-45 hours during the week. I love driving through the nicer neighborhoods (especially around Cherry Creek and Denver Country Club) if I'm going South/East towards Monaco Pkwy to avoid 25.

But I like the southern burbs for better golf courses, open areas, family atmosphere, and nicer houses (ie: don't have to pay 500k for some old, small, crappy 1,000 sf house in Wash Park). I'd agree that there are more snobby people down south compared to an up-and-coming neighborhood like Highlands, but it's nowhere near as bad as Texas suburbs as far as pretentiousness. I really enjoy the people here.

Does anyone have anything fun planned for the Fall? I should have posted it last week, but Oktoberfest in Breckenridge is a lot of fun.

We should get some TexAgs ski days lined up once ski season starts.

I'll be at the Fainting Goat this Saturday before heading to Wash Park for a wedding. Would love to meet up with any Texagers who may be there.

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Does anyone have anything fun planned for the Fall? I should have posted it last week, but Oktoberfest in Breckenridge is a lot of fun.

We should get some TexAgs ski days lined up once ski season starts.

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I just bought my pass last week, winterpark/ Copper 6 days at steamboat and 3 days at crested butte.